Page 136 of House of Ruin
“Back to the important business at hand,” Val said. “Are you telling me that you didn’t know that Norse is the killer?”
With snot and tears running down her face, Bea looked at Val and shook her head. “No. I—I had no idea. He never mentioned murders or anything like that.”
“Then what was your deal with him?” Val demanded. “I need every fucking detail.”
“He came to me at the end of the first trimester,” Bea said. “He said that the House of Snakes was about to fall and that he’d have me in his House, as part of his Inner Circle, if I agreed to work with him on ruining the Snakes.” She sniffled. “I agreed.Of course, I agreed. For some time he didn’t want anything, but then a week or so before Jack’s murder, he came to me with poison and asked me to dose Blaze’s drinks and food.”
Next to Bea, Cadre groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes.
When he finally opened them, he looked at their circle, then at Bea next to him, then back at them.
“I didn’t know anything,” he almost shouted. “I swear! I had no idea she was working with the Dragons to poison one of us!”
“Bastard,” Bea murmured, throwing him a deadly glance. “You piece of—”
“If you want to ruin your future, it’s on you,” Cadre spat. “I’m not going down with you.”
Val chuckled.
“He’s got the right spirit,” Andro said.
“Cadre, get on your feet,” Val instructed. He scrambled onto his feet. “Caleb, take him to the carriage outside and keep an eye on him.”
A satyr who’d stood outside the cell door came in and grabbed the back of Cadre’s neck, dragging him outside.
Bea looked as desperate as ever.
“Where did Norse get the poison?” Blaze asked. “Was it from Professor Namiad?”
“I don’t know,” Bea said, her voice rough. “He never gave me details. I never asked.”
“Useless,” Val said, sighing. “Let’s go. We have one more thing to do before we have to get back to Darly.”
“Wait!” Bea cried out. “What—what about me?”
Val looked her up and down with a scowl. “You stay here until your parents figure out what do to with their little traitor brat who ruined their legacy at the House of Snakes.”
Bea was sobbing uncontrollably when they left.
“Where are we going?” Jolene asked Val, who led them farther down the long tunnel.
“You’ll see.”
They didn’t walk for long before stopping by the red metal door with no handles.
Val muttered a spell, and a doorknob popped up. She twisted it and opened the door, entering the cell.
They all followed her inside.
It was a cell like the one Bea and Cadre had been held in but a bit bigger. There was no furniture around, just a single chair in the middle of the cell.
And on that chair sat none other than Rogue Smolder.
“Motherfucker.”
47
Alecto couldn’t believe her own eyes.
